The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

On the topic of Ultra Magnus, was there ever a canon explanation for why he was able to be violently and completely disassembled in TFTM (on the Junkion planet), and reassembled good-as-new without dying? Whereas Prime and others took seemingly much less damage, but were killed off. If there ever was an explanation, did it have to do with his exterior armor being a factor?

galvatron said don't touch him "ultra magnus is mine." then he doesn't touch him... that's why he lived. if galvatron touched him at least we would've had another ghost MP.

couldn't stand that part but i'm looking forward to the mp

[VF5SS]

The original Marvel Comic adaptation of TF The Movie still has a lot of scenes from the earlier draft.

[Kanedas Bike]

Yeah, actually looking forward to the new MP release of Ultra Magnus too. I really hate/hated him as a character but I thought from a design standpoint that he was kinda cool.

Plus it'll be nice to have him to display him with my other Masterpiece items (that is if/when I ever get the interest and space to display any of my Transformers).

-b.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

the most conservative and self doubtful leader in the history of the autobots. he lead the autobots into their darkest hour. no charisma but he did have the body of a leader.

alright enough hating on magnus from me. that's cool to know about the original draft. thanks RDblade and veef for the insight.

Edited December 20, 2013 by davidwhangchoi

[RD Blade]

No problem.

[skullmilitia]

MP Wheeljack shadow!

[Mechapilot77]

never been so excited to see a silhouette!

as far as magnus beign quartered like that, someone actually made in animation from the original storyboards that show it. magnus is supposed to be such a badass but he got decimated in seconds of being leader so i always thought he got punked bad. still i like what magnus stands for. a fearless perfect soldier type.

[skullmilitia]

That's what Magnus gets for being a parts-former!

[hutch]

"I CAN'T DEAL WITH THAT RIGHT NOW"

The timeless words of a great leader.

[jenius]

The MP-12J that's on eBay right now, that's just a knock off they've painted gold right?

[David Hingtgen]

Yup. Though that's an "actual KO release", and not a one-off that someone custom-painted gold.

Really, they should sell the wheels separately, as gold-wheel Countaches are famous... (best-known with black cars, but I think available with any color---have seen them with white, red, and blue)

[mikeszekely]

So a buddy of mine was out looking for some Walking Dead figures for his wife, and he asked me to tag along. I wasn't planning on buying anything, but I wound up finding First Edition Deluxe Bumblebee and Starscream. I passed on Screamer... $16 is a lot for a Deluxe, and it really looks like a smaller version of the Voyager-sized one I already have. But I thought the regular Deluxe Bumblebee was one of the worst figures in the Prime line, and the FE version looked a ton better.

I'll start off by saying this... neither figure is perfect. In alt mode, they're very similar, although FE is slightly larger and has more paint apps including his rims, fog lights, turn signals and tail lights, and the small black stripes on the sides of the front. Both have a square of gray plastic on the door hinge that isn't on the animation. FE doesn't have the 5mm peg hole on the engine block. However, on the underside of the car are tabs on his feet. There are grooves on the bottom of his gun that slot onto those tabs, so he can store his weapon in alt mode.

The big differences are in bot mode. His legs are fairly similar on both versions, with the biggest difference being the rear windshield is split and folded down on the backs of his legs on the FE version. The FE version is also slightly larger with wider hips. Neither has the black marks on his knees. FE Prime does have dark gray feet and black stripes on his hips, which is a little more accurate than regular's black feet and stripeless hips.

Regular has more toon accurate shoulders, with the wheels behind and the shoulder pads in front of the tires. FE's tires are pretty much in the same position as in car mode, with the shoulder pads folding up and pegging into his rims. Regular has toon-accurate black hands, while FE again used a dark gray. On the whole, though, FE's arms have a wider range of motion than regular's with larger forearms and no door kibble hanging off them.

Speaking of doors, a slight edge goes to regular. The way his torso sits, his wings are up higher, and FE has part of the roof split and folded down behind his door wings.

Head sculpts are VERY similar. I'd think they were the same mold if the clear light-piping part on FE's wasn't so much smaller. Regular's face is painted silver, and his eyes don't seem to stand out as much, though, while FE's is painted a darker gray.

Where FE really pulls away from the regular version, though, is the torso. Regular Bee has a stupid mech-tech gimmick where you pull his arms/wheels out and his chest automatically pulls apart and his head flips out. The result is that his headlight chest his closer to his navel, his head is sort of always looking down and his chest slopes sharply downward, there's a very visible hinge and a gap and part of the front grill is protruding from the back of his neck up higher than his head. On the back, his rear windshield is folded under the roof, which pegs into his butt with the windshield between his shoulders.

FE Bee has a much better transformation where the middle of the hood folds up, twists around, and folds back down, exposing his head and neck. The rest of the top of the hood is more like his shoulders, and his headlights are where his pecs should be. A panel folds up to make his lats, and the front end sort of squeezes together and pegs onto hooks under his shoulders. The result is both more toon accurate and more dynamic. From behind, since the roof his on his door-wings and the rear windshield is on his legs, only the front window is folding onto his back, between his shoulders.

It's a bummer that FE Bee only comes with one arm blaster, but the pegs do accommodate regular Bee's.

On the whole, if you're looking for a Prime Bumblebee, FE is the one to get. Even if you have the regular one, get the FE version if you have a chance. It's miles better.

Here's some pics. Regular Bee on the left, FE on the right.

Edited December 21, 2013 by mikeszekely

[skullmilitia]

IMO, all the FE molds are the best.

[mikeszekely]

IMO, all the FE molds are the best.

Well, I can't really judge, because Bee is the only one I ever found, aside from the Deluxe Prime/Megatron two-pack I picked up when I went to Beijing. Going just from pics, FE Bulkhead and Voyager FE Prime look a lot better too, but they're not as easy or as cheap to find as the Deluxes. FE Cliffjumper looks a lot better than the regular one, too, but for a character that dies in the first episode, having a great toy of him is a low priority. I do prefer the regular Voyager Prime to the FE Deluxe Prime, though. However, I think that FE Deluxe Megatron is better than the Voyager one... shame it's so small. For Arcee, I prefer the more feminine non-FE version, and I think that the regular Vehicon is an improvement over the FE version in just about every way. As for Starscream, I think it's a tough call, as they're pretty similar.

What I can say is that the non-FE Bumblebee was one of the absolute worst figures in the entire Prime line. He was the only one that I felt I needed to replace, if I found an FE version. If I could get my hands of FE Voyager Prime or FE Bulkhead at a reasonable price (reasonable being $30-$40 for a Voyager, I think), I'd consider it, but the regular ones aren't so bad that I feel a powerful urge to replace them. And as I said, I prefer regular Vehicon and Arcee, and Cliffjumper isn't as important.

[Gakken85]

It's more a bronze than a gold.

For $155 bucks I'll pass ha

Maybe if it was a shiny platinum we could talk.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

It's more a bronze than a gold.

For $155 bucks I'll pass ha

Maybe if it was a shiny platinum we could talk.

what's that episode when they dip in the Lagoon all gold and are invincible but then it wears off?

[jenius]

$155? I'd pass too. I'm seeing it for more like $75... and I think I'll buy one when I can get it for $40 .

[anime52k8]

What I can say is that the non-FE Bumblebee was one of the absolute worst figures in the entire Prime line. He was the only one that I felt I needed to replace, if I found an FE version. If I could get my hands of FE Voyager Prime or FE Bulkhead at a reasonable price (reasonable being $30-$40 for a Voyager, I think), I'd consider it, but the regular ones aren't so bad that I feel a powerful urge to replace them. And as I said, I prefer regular Vehicon and Arcee, and Cliffjumper isn't as important.

FE cliffjumper is just such a good mold. If you ever see GDO cliffjumper or the zombie version, pick one of them up. as for prime and bulkhead, the PRID versions aren't bad toys, (I like them anyways) but the FE versions are SO much better

[Uxi]

Really, they should sell the wheels separately, as gold-wheel Countaches are famous... (best-known with black cars, but I think available with any color---have seen them with white, red, and blue)

With rubber tires!

[Gakken85]

what's that episode when they dip in the Lagoon all gold and are invincible but then it wears off?

I just rewatched most of season 1 and 2 and I don't remember it. I skipped a few episodes though haha.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

I just rewatched most of season 1 and 2 and I don't remember it. I skipped a few episodes though haha.

i think Beachcomber and Thrust find some special gold sauce and when they dip into it they turn gold color and invincible.

here it is:

Edited December 23, 2013 by davidwhangchoi

[mikeszekely]

Sounds like Year of the Horse MP Optimus is coming Stateside...

[treatment]

MP-19 Smokey gets directed by a Cop-bot other than Prowl...

[Gakken85]

Sounds like Year of the Horse MP Optimus is coming Stateside...

Yeah BBTS actually has a decent price for once:

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=HAS23525

Too bad nobody wants the damn thing haha

[mikeszekely]

Yeah BBTS actually has a decent price for once:

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=HAS23525

Too bad nobody wants the damn thing haha

BBTS is only $10 less than TRU, but TRU is usually free shipping on orders that expensive. Not sure how much BBTS charges for shipping, but it seems like kind of a wash.

I kind of hope you're right about nobody wanting one, because I kind of want one. The gold is just horrible, but I like the blue biceps and waist, and the red crotch lights. I don't want to pay $120-$130, so maybe if no one buys them they'll go on clearance later. I'll be sorely tempted if they go under $100.

[Gakken85]

I'm willing to bet it will go into discount. MP-10b took a long time to sell out, I bet this will take longer.

[skullmilitia]

It's so ugly!

[mikeszekely]

It's so ugly!

It is, but (at least to me) only because of the gold. Like I said, I like the red crotch lights, the blue biceps, and the blue waist. I kind of want to turn him into an MP Pepsi Prime.

[technoblue]

Same here. I don't care for the gold accents on YOTH/Platinum Prime. However, the trailer would be tempting on sale. If it is possible to mod the Autobot insignias (that is, switch them out out) for Decepticon branding, then I would like to pair it with MP-10B.

Edited December 28, 2013 by technoblue

[treatment]

Smokescreen: How do I look, babe?

Akiba Blue: Nice pose, but I tell yah, Smokey. I'm only letting you borrow my stand coz TakaraTomy's too dang el cheapo monkeys to provide their "Masterpiece" line with any. They don't even give you them missiles like in the old boxart...

Smokescreen:

[Gakken85]

Just a heads up to all, the Takara Grimlock re-issue is kind of lame. The flame sword and crown are in separate boxes and may be split up by your retailer, or they might not get them? It depends on who you Po'd with. I'm a little bummed it's not a new release but just an add-on box similar to that lame Optimus prime 30th Anni stand.

At any rate, if you don't have a takara version I guess it's a good way to go, otherwise there isn't anything special about it.

I imagine the crown and sword will be sold separately by lots of outlets to squeeze some cash out of collectors, and they will probably be KO'd before long.

I def. cancelled my PO as I already have a 1st run grimlock.

Looks like the KO's are ready:

You can find "loose" grimlocks all over ebay now.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Takara-Transformers-Masterpiece-MP-08-Grimlock-without-BOX-/281235246607?pt=US_Action_Figures&hash=item417aed4e0f

This is really just a cash grab to try to get money the KO's would get from consumers. Tragic.

Edited December 30, 2013 by Gakken85

[skullmilitia]

Yea, not paying 130$ for a KO, 60$.. Yeah, 80$ no.

[Scyla]

Are there any images around showing the flame sword? Is it the same sword that came with MP-08 or is it something different?

Just saw this on BBTS

This figure includes a bonus coin that converts to a crown and flame cover that goes on his sword. The box will be the same as the original MP-08 box.

So any pictures for this ominous bonus coin?

I also ordered the MP Soundwave from a NY sale. So with this and the reissue of Lambor and Grimlock I have all the similar sized MP figures released to date (including the MP-06 and MP-09). I'm still waiting on a proper MP-11 Skywarp release but it seems that I'm a Transformers Masterpiece collector now.

Is there any information if Takara is planning to release the MP Bumblebee as a Cliffjumper repaint? I really prefer red over yellow.

Edited December 30, 2013 by Scyla

[Gakken85]

No pics yet That I have seen. I'm sure it will be sold separate or KO'd so .

[Kanedas Bike]

From the front page of TFW2005;

http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-masterpiece-47/new-designer-for-2014-masterpiece-series-transformers-178998/

Personally I'm not too happy about the news, I just got back into collecting the Masterpiece line because of MP-10 thru 19 (even if the designer coming back to the line had something, or everything, to do with the new Optimus).

I didn't bother to keep/collect MP-1 thru 8 and I tolerate 9 because I like Hot Rod/Rodimus as a character. Fingers crossed that the line continues the recent trend of really nice releases.

-b.